The present invention relates generally to the field of airbags and inflatable safety devices. More specifically, the invention relates to airbag with a non-stretching attachment point that will not twist during shipping, installation or handling.
Head side airbag modules are typically referred to as “rigid modules,” “soft pack modules,” or a combination thereof. As an example, it is very common to use a full length steel tube or full length plastic container as a rigid feature, thus defining the “rigid module.” The rigid module, however, demands tight tolerances and expensive checking fixtures, and yields high amounts of scrap material because the mounting features of the conventional “rigid module” must be constrained in X, Y and Z directions over the entire length of the module. As an example, a dimensionally correct rigid module that becomes bumped or mishandled during shipping and handling may no longer fit in the vehicle during installation. The attachment points along the module have no flexibility; thus resulting in assembly features being misaligned during installation. As a result, the rigid module remains unused because the mating features will not align properly.
Generally, conventional modules are rigid over a portion of its length while not being rigid over the balance. A “soft pack” portion of a head side airbag module refers to those portions that do not have any rigid features. However, a module that has a “soft pack” portion has the possibility of becoming twisted during the shipping, the handling and/or the installation into a vehicle. A module that is twisted or installed incorrectly may reduce the performance of the airbag upon deployment during a crash event.
Thus, there is a need for an airbag module that can be resistant to damage from shipping, handling, and installation while allowing for variations in manufacturing tolerances.